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Hey all, here's the thing. I've been accepted into UOttawa's Biology (BSc), Health Sciecne (BHSc), and Biomedical Science (BSc) and I'm struggling to decide which of these programs I should go for. Anyone faced this dilemma before? Does one degree stand out over the rest or could Med schools care less about what the degree is and just look at the GPA? I'm into most of the courses in BioMed but really dont want to take physics or calculus. Biology is pretty basic and 3rd/4th year are basically all electives so very customizable (but BIOLOGY just sounds really general and doesn't have the ring BioMed does lol). Health Science is a wild card as it all seems ok (not really interested in all the socialogy and physcology involved in that) but its BHSc so it might narrow my path if Med school doesn't pan out. I really like anatomy and tangable things and less into pure sciences and math. Any thoughts on this matter?
Cheers,
Richard

As an first year student, I've noticed that this is the time where many student start applying for summer research programs. However, as I'm currently planning to transfer schools next year and have to take some summer courses, I don't have the luxury to do the same.
My question is what exactly do first and second year students generally have on their resume/CV when applying for such programs? As they generally tend to have minimal work or lab experiences, but they just put their ECs? Moreover, how much of the likelihood of finding a position is based off your GPA. I'm currently holding a 4.0 (based off of my marks so far and there aren't a lot), and have started some EC activities regarding indigenous health and the aging population. I'm also a member of a few clubs.
Would I have to maintain my GPA and ECs the way that they are to would I have to add something else into the mix?

Hi all,
I'm a 1st time poster who like some of you has been in university for quite some time now... I started out taking a BSc in 2011 (taking me 5 years) and received atrocious marks. I pushed through, graduated and took a year off to recollect. That year off has done WONDERS and I am now in my second year of nursing achieving about a 90% avg in my studies (still taking full credits every semester). I've enjoyed what nursing has offered me, however I wondered if there was any inkling of a chance of me getting into a med school. I searched through this website and found a forum (most recently updated in 2012) which outlined the policies that each med school in Canada had for students applying with a second undergraduate degree. Because I have always lived in BC, I would apply as an OOP student (with a second degree) to as many that I could be eligible for. According to the 2012 forum I believe my best bet would be applying to U of Saskatchewan (UBC doesn't really offer any revised gpa calculation with a second degree...). I was hoping to make a revised one and if anyone has any extra information on this topic, it would be GREATLY appreciated!!
Thanks for reading!

Hi all,
I'm a 1st time poster who like some of you has been in university for quite some time now... I started out taking a BSc in 2011 (taking me 5 years) and received atrocious marks. I pushed through, graduated and took a year off to recollect. That year off has done WONDERS and I am now in my second year of nursing achieving about a 90% avg in my studies (still taking full credits every semester). I've enjoyed what nursing has offered me, however I wondered if there was any inkling of a chance of me getting into a med school. I searched through this website and found a forum (most recently updated in 2012) which outlined the policies that each med school in Canada had for students applying with a second undergraduate degree. Because I have always lived in BC, I would apply as an OOP student (with a second degree) to as many that I could be eligible for. According to the 2012 forum I believe my best bet would be applying to U of Saskatchewan (UBC doesn't really offer any revised gpa calculation with a second degree...). I was hoping to make a revised outline of the policies for second undergrad applicants and if anyone has any extra information on this topic, it would be GREATLY appreciated!!
Thanks for reading!

Hey guys,
I'm going into my 2nd yr of mac health sci this sept and really want to secure a research position for the school year. I know this isnt prime time for contacting researchers and most of the replies I've gotten have said their lab is full, but do y'all have any specific advice regarding how to land a research position ? In the emails I have sent so far, I've included a reference letter from my 1st yr psychobio TA, CV and transcript. And I've kept the content of the emails short and sweet, as well as personalized to the prof's research/publications. I'm not sure if I'm doing anything wrong, but I'm really frustrated. Everyone I know seems to have their life figured out and doing research in the summer!
As for my research interests, I'm interested in both dry lab and wet lab research. Specific interests include mental health disorders, mental health policy / interventions, oncology, pharmacology/drug synthesis/mechanisms, human cognition/perception. But also open to other interesting projects in other fields.
SO, any advice regarding how I should increase my chances of landing a fruitful outcome? Thanks in advance

Hello,
I would really appreciate any advice that anybody could give me
I am a student in grade 12 trying to decide where to go for undergrad in order to maximize my chances of getting into medical school and enjoy my experience during the next 4 years. I have offers from UTSG, York, Ryerson, and Waterloo for various programs. I regret not applying to McMaster, and wish I had as I just recently found out that they have the highest matriculation rate into Canadian medical schools. Considering the research I have done on peoples' experiences and perceptions of all these universities, I'm getting more and more weary and anxious of taking my chances and going to UofT in the fall because of the difficulty of maintaining a high GPA. I had initially wanted to go to UofT because it appeals to me the most course and program wise; I'm interested in pursuing a double major in Psych and Developmental Bio there. It also has benefits considering that its an internationally acclaimed research institution, it has affiliations with major hospitals, and would generally benefit me for ECs in my application. But would it be better for me to go to Ryerson, Waterloo, or York to avoid the impossible standards of attaining a high GPA? I also considered switching out to McMaster in second year, but the McMaster program seems to be similar in rigour to UTSG.
On the other hand, my parents are urging me to attend an accredited and intensive medical school that accepts students straight out of high school in my home country. It would be beneficial in terms of being with my family, having guaranteed acceptance into medical school if I get in, and the early start on an intensive medical curriculum which would shorten my education. I am apprehensive of doing this for the following reasons:
1. I do not want to give up my experience in terms of extracurriculars, social science courses, and the treasured exploration of identity that Undergrad is known for (only slightly sarcastic)
2. I prefer Canadian society and life much more, as the university is in a conservative country and classes are segregated for the most part
3. I do not want to jeopardize my chances of getting matched into residency as IMG match rates are increasingly low in Canada and the US
4. The university awards an MBBS degree, so I'm not sure if that would dampen my chances of matching in Canada or the US
So, I'm completely torn about which decision would be better for me academically and mentally, clueless of what university I'm going to be attending a few months from now. I apologize in advance for any sense of entitlement, errors, or ignorance that might come across from my cry for help :p.

Hello everyone,
It's this time of the year where application deadline are coming. I am from Marianopolis and I am unsure of my final R-Score because my 3rd semester was a very bad one for two of my classes, especially with organic chemistry (R-score still hasn't come out yet though). The first two semester, I had a decent R-score of around 33. Also, I did some volunteering, about 60 hours but I'm pretty sure it's not enough to make my CV look good. I used to be very confident in my skills but after the 3rd semester, I am not sure of my future for med anymore. Anyways, that is not the main question here.
I know that if I don't make it to Med-P from Cegep, I can apply to an alternate undergrad studies where I will have a chance to get into medecine once I completed it. However, I am very hesitant on which program to chose. I heard some people saying that applying to Physiotherapy would be a good idea to transfer. But I am not sure what is the impact of the chosen undergrad plan b program for my career for medecine. Should I chose a science-based program to get an advantage if I get into med? I am rather new to this and I am quite confused about the large number of program at university (and a bit intimidated).
Nonetheless, I am trying hard to pursue my dream to get into med, like most people in this forum. It seems very arduous, but I am giving everything I got. I hope you guys can give me some tips and guidance for the path I must take (in particular, for my plan B undergrad program).
Sincerely,
Jacky.

Hi,
This might be a silly question but I can't seem to find much information on it and was wondering if anyone here might know. Are there any 'special considerations' taken for individuals with disabilities when it comes to applying to medical school in Ontario or Canada? I know some schools have policies around First Nations people or people living in certain geographic areas and was wondering if there are any comparable considerations for people with disabilities. Any info on this and how it relates to specific medical schools would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks!

I am going to do my undergrad in Canada and I was wondering if anyone knows if US schools would take into account the 'rank' of the school. Like if I went to Toronto, which is well known, would vet schools there treat me any differently than if I went to say Guelph? I already know that I would have different requirements than in state applicants like a higher GPA, so I am stressed that if I do my undergrad in Toronto and get a lower GPA than I would in Guelph it'll decrease my chances of getting into a Vet School. Also, just in case anyone wonders why I want to go to the US for Vet School- I'm actually from the US but I moved to Ontario during high school and I want to stay here for undergrad plus I've already been accepted to Guelph and am waiting to hear back from Toronto.

Hey guys! I am just curious, when do most people start getting research experience? I am going into my second year, and I haven't started volunteering in a lab yet, but I'm really interested in doing that, eventually. I already have a bunch of extracurricular activities lined up, so I'm not sure how beneficial it would be for me to get involved during the school year, but I'm worried that I won't be able to get a good lab or hospital research position in the upcoming summer if I don't have prior experience? Thanks so much for your help!
* Sorry - I posted this same question under general discussions, before I found this category.

Hey everyone,
I was wondering if anyone could provide some info on Western's psych program; specifically, in terms of it's difficulty. Or, if anyone has taken psych courses at western, how did you find them?
Thank you in advance, any feedback would be highly appreciated!

Hey everyone,
I was wondering if anyone could provide some info on Western's psych program; specifically, in terms of it's difficulty. Or, if anyone has taken psych courses at western, how did you find them?
Thank you in advance, any feedback would be highly appreciated!

Hello to anyone who reads this, as you can see from the title of this conversation I'm seeking advice about my current situation.It has always been my dream to become a doctor, this is one of the earliest memories I have from growing up. This is something I've always wanted and have always imagined myself doing. I can honestly say that I can't see myself being anything else besides a doctor. However right now I'm in a tough situation...I was former running start student, for those who don't know what that is that's basically when you take college classes while still in high school. I was doing quite well, I was getting 4.0s in the courses I took however that began to slowly change. After graduating high school with a 4.0 gpa everything pretty much went down hill for me. I started getting distracted from my goals and not taking college seriously, I started losing motivation in wanting to be in school and eventually my 4.0 gpa dropped to what is now a 2.5.At this point I do realize that I've dug myself into a very deep hole and I know that I haven't displayed the characteristics of someone who's passionate about Med school but becoming a doctor is still a dream for me. I still don't see myself being anything else besides a doctor. I just turned 20 years old and I really want to start doing things right.Iv'e completed the general chem series and biology, and was planning on taking O.chem and Physics this coming year at the college. I'm pretty much aware that regardless of whether I get a 4.0 in the classes it isn't going to raise my gpa much, however my goal is to at least show an upward trend on my transcript.What I want to know is what else I should be doing so I can raise my chances of getting into medical school with my current situation? And what should I do when I transfer to a university? I would like to believe that I still have a chance of proving myself, I know it may not be easy but I believe that I can do it.

Hi,
I am currently in CEGEP. Long story short I did a Tremplin DEC ( two semesters) before getting into Health Sciences. I am now decided that Dentistry is my main goal.. however, I'm really concerned about whether I should:
Go to university in english (my mother tongue is french and I'm also attending a french cegep)
If so, which is university ( Concordia or Mcgill) is better if I do a science/med oriented undergrad program in order to get into dental school
What major should I take? This is really my main concern because I wanna chose a good major where I feel like I can earn good grades and perform well! For example, physiology or biology would be the death for me because most of the applicants want to pursue into medecine. So there's gonna be a lot of competiton. But I am aware that I'm gonna have to take science classes (pre requisites) for DENT and I will have to be a strong applicant.
I heard a lot that McGill is better than Concordia when it comes to research, labs, people, campus, etc. Is it true ??
I hope it will also help other confused cegepians ! Good Luck!

Does anyone have any experience at the university of alberta for undergrad before applying to Med School? Which programs are most common for "premeds"? And how is the campus, campus life, profs etc? There really isn't that much information on UofA from students, and I just want to hear your opinions!

I am going into my second year at Western and I decided to make a mock timetable for my third and fourth years of university. I am currently in medical science and I am planning to also pursue a minor or diploma in french as well. However, when making my mock timetable for fourth year I found that a mandatory course for the honours specialization I am interested in is only available at the same time as a mandatory french course which also only occurs at that one time. Obviously, this isn't an issue for me right now, but the class times tend to be consistent from year to year so this can be an issue for me in the future. I was wondering if anyone has pursued, for example, a double major that had mandatory courses for each major conflicting? Also, because this is an issue for the future, if I notify academic counselling from now do you think they could avoid them being in the same time slot in following years? Unfortunately, both of these courses seem like classes where attendance will be necessary so enrolling in both but only attending one will probably not be an option.

Hi everyone, with summer already starting, I was wondering what kind of jobs you all hold or had as a current or past Undergrad student.
I was looking to get a job but it's extremely competitive where I reside since most require about 1 year of experience or more depending on the job and all I have in my resume are volunteer experiences and some leadership roles. I've worked at a fast food chain when I was in high school (11 months) but I had to resign since I needed to move to the city to study. Even after applying to sooo many places, from fast food, to retail, to cashier. You name it! I get NOTHING, no call, no nothing! I even tried the old trick of talking straight to the manager and handing them my resume personally and calling them after a few days to check on the status of my resume... I even tried applying on the work-study programs at school and the on-campus jobs... I'm starting to feel like I'm jynxed or cursed or just plain unlucky or dumb... I worked on my resume to show who I am and what I've accomplished, I've even made it look all fancy with some style and colour...
I just need a part-time job to get some sort of income since books and rent have a pretty hefty price tag in them and I want to be a little bit more independent since my parents can't always help me with this kind of stuff. I am an adult now and I want to learn how to be independent without relying on my parents like I used to when I was a kid...
I was wondering what the best job would be for a student to apply to. I was hoping that I could continue to work during the fall/winter sessions so I think starting in the summer is a pretty good place to start.
Thank you you all in advance!
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated and sorry for the long post... I needed to rant a bit!

cGPA: 3.67
I took a few semesters with 3-4 courses. Last 2 semester GPA is about 3.9.
ECs: Volunteer/research at labs, computer science instructor, hospital paediatrics volunteer, doctors without border head office volunteer, president/founder of school club
In my 3rd year of undergrad at the University of Toronto. I have yet to write my MCAT, thinking of applying in the 2018/2019 cycle.
Any advice on what I should do next? What can I do to become a better applicant? Should I focus on more ECs? What schools should I focus on and what schools should I not look at?
I would really appreciate any feedback or suggestions.
Thank you so much!

Hello.
This is my first post. I seriously see no hope for me getting into medical school. I have done horribly these first 2 years. I suffer from severe depression which makes it very difficult for me to stay motivated.
I have recently been slowing improving.
First year Term 1: 2.7
First year Term 2: 1.7 (my grandfather passed away this term)
Second year Term 1: 3.0
Second year Term 2: not yet calculated yet since I deferred one exam
So far my marks are A+, A-, A ... and then an F in anatomy. yup i failed anatomy. I was so happy my condition was improving but after seeing that F i died inside.
I have zero hope now. My GPA is horrible. I don't know what to do.
I will try my best to do amazing 3 and 4th year.
However, will that even help?
I've also heard a 1 year master's degree helps boost the GPA since master credits are valued more? Is that true?
But then how will I even get into a master's program with my grades?

Hi! I'm going into second year, and I already have a few extra-curriculars lined up and a part time job on campus, and together, these activities might already take up about 15 hours per week. Would it be a bad idea to also volunteer in a lab? It's something I haven't done before, so I'm just not exactly sure what kind of weekly time commitment that requires. I'm asking because one of the professors I emailed, simply mentioned that a lot of second year students end up abandoning lab work by the middle of the semester since workload gets heavier. The dilemma is, I'd really like to apply for NSERC or work in a lab or participate in a hospital research program in the summer after second year, but in order to get accepted, should I start volunteering during the school year to gain experience beforehand? I suppose I'm also asking, if it's likely for students without prior research experience to get accepted into those programs? Thanks!

So, I just finished my first year at McGill (Yay)
It was my first year of university so I would say that it was okayish.... if I wasn't planning on going to med school.
So, the first semester went pretty bad and I ended up with a 2.85 GPA (ouch).
I made some change and finished with a 3.5 GPA this semester (better but still somewhat lacking).
I calculated and if I want to reach at least a 3.8 GPA, I need all A for the remaining three years. I am rather hardworking so I know I can do pretty good if I work on my study habit but I know that having only A's from now on would be a far stretch.
I won't get started on my pre-req GPA but it is pretty bad (didn't calculate but probably B+ average).
I am doing a Computer Science and Biology major, by the way.
Do you think I should stop thinking about going to med school just after my undergrad and just aim for maybe grad school or some research before applying? (Not that it would be easier, either way)
Did anyone have a first year of university as bad as mine as an undergrad and still managed to get in med school?
Sorry for the little rant though, I just needed to get things off my chest and I don't really know anybody I can share this with (I also kinda of failed social life wise in my first year of university lol I will do better next year).

All my marks have been fine so far from A- to A+ for first year, but I got a B+ in one of my half year courses, and I know it's not the end of the world, but it has been bothering me, and I'm a little worried!! As long as I do much better in my second year, I just hope I still have a good chance of applying to med in third year, assuming my other stuff like MCAT and EC's is good? I don't know exactly what my current GPA is but I'm predicting for OMSAS it's going to be about 3.8?? I would appreciate it if I could hear about some of your experiences as third year applicants, like what the GPA expectations are and if you guys ever got less than an A (like a B+) in a course and how much of an effect that has on your application? I know marks aren't everything but still, lol thank you!!

Hey guys,
I've got about two weeks to decide where I'll be going for undergrad. My plan is to pursue general science (mayble a major in physics) for premed and then apply to med school. I've received a large scholarship to Queen's, so my options are down to Queen's and UofM.
The cost to attend either of them is irrelevant. I'm most concerned about keeping up a high GPA and having opportunities to make myself competitive for medicine. I'm worried that, if I go to a highly selective school like Queen's, I will be overshadowed by the sheer number of high caliber students (based on entering averages).
Also, does anyone know if they grade on a bell curve? From my limited research, it seems that a bell curve is quite harmful to GPAs if you're trying to be in the top 10% of the class.
Any advice is appreciated.
Thanks,
Yashi

Hi everyone,
I'm new to this website and this is my very first post here.
I would just like to ask if anyone has taken a Gap year before they applied to Medical School (more specifically but not limited to, the University of Manitoba).
I'm currently a sophomore student and my GPA is not very strong at the moment and I have yet to take the MCAT but I figured that I could just do it during my Gap year if I do decide to take it. I know that they (the UofM) do adjusted gpa but even if my gpa is adjusted, I am really not confident that it will be competitive enough... In fact, I think that by the time I graduate, I might just reach the bare minimum required.
I plan on taking two years off just so I can work, volunteer more, improve my CV and also help out my parents a bit. I really want to work on a hospital during my gap years with really any responsibility. I really am not picky.
What is the average age for people who goes to medical school and start their journey? I understand that it varies from school to school but I'm just really curious and kinda just want a rough "guess-timate"
And does anyone have any suggestions and advice on what else I should so during my gap year to help me stand out a little bit more?
Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated, Thank you all and Have a great day!